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I’m constantly reminded of how our actions tell a story much more precisely than our thoughts and intentions. Whether it’s business or personal, what we do communicates far more than what we say.

This profoundly simple, yet simply profound fact has had the power to affect the way I live my life.

It quite literally has changed my life.

Many reading this might scratch their heads and wonder, “What is this crazy man talking about?” I’m okay with that.

It’s a very fundamental concept. Ever heard the cliche, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”?

Harry Chapin recorded a song long ago, entitled, “Cats in the Cradle”. If you’re still not sure what this concept means, these lyrics should make it crystal clear.

(Lyrics by Harry Chapin):

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin’ ‘fore I knew it, and as he grew
He’d say “I’m gonna be like you dad
You know I’m gonna be like you”

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home dad?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then son
You know we’ll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, “Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let’s play
Can you teach me to throw”, I said “Not today
I got a lot to do”, he said, “That’s ok”
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, “I’m gonna be like him, yeah
You know I’m gonna be like him”

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home son?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then son
You know we’ll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
“Son, I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?”
He shook his head and said with a smile
“What I’d really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?”

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home son?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then son
You know we’ll have a good time then

I’ve long since retired, my son’s moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, “I’d like to see you if you don’t mind”
He said, “I’d love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job’s a hassle and kids have the flu
But it’s sure nice talking to you, Dad
It’s been sure nice talking to you”

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He’d grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin’ home son?
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then son
You know we’ll have a good time then

Make it a GREAT day, because if you don’t who will?

Are you one of those people that dreamt, during your youthful days, of a wildly fulfilling life? Have you let go of those dreams? Have you accomplished your dreams? Modified them? Forgotten them?

Or……

Are you quietly and steadily finding renewed purpose and hope in those idealistic youthful dreams?

This past Wednesday I heard keynote speaker, Mark Sanborn ( www.marksanborn.com ) at a Walt Disney World conference. He quoted a statistic we can all relate to – 76% of Americans say they are insanely busy. And that most Americans are proud of it. Not me. What about you?

My guess is the other 25% are really busy and have yet to climb to the insanity level.

We get to be so busy because we have so much coming at us that we are never taught to handle. Because we don’t know how to handle it, with effective life strategies and tactics, we become overwhelmed. And there is little chance we will ever break this chain. Death may set us free, perhaps.

Ever feel this way? Ever think about this kind of stuff?

Who’s got time to think about it? We’re all so insanely busy that we just keep turning up the heat, until we reach the boiling point. This is where things called wake-up calls arrive at our front door.

I’ve had quite a few wake-up calls in my life. Some I’ve heeded. Some I haven’t. And then the phone rings again. It’s for me. It’s my wake-up call again.

So what seemed logical, took forever to figure out. But once I started to spend time to Rethink, and then to Reprioritize, things actually started getting better.

And my life has gotten measurably better since I’ve Recommited to what matters most.

I can offer you hope and inspiration, but only if you want it. Needing it isn’t enough. You absolutely have to want it, or none of it will make a difference.

Here’s one of Life’s Secrets: You’ll see it when you believe it!

Good night and sweet (youthful) dreams. The ones where nothing seemed impossible and anything seemed possible.

PS. Here’s another secret that works for me, and maybe you too. And you can quote me on this one:

“If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough.”

The most important thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother. — Henry Ward Beecher

He who is taught to live upon little owes more to his father’s wisdom than he who has a great deal left him does. — William Penn

Who said, “The time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining”?  I’m currently preparing for life after my career with a Fortune 100 company, (retirement in 5-10 years).  I hope that when my 8-year old son goes looking for Jesus he only has to look across the dinner table to get a glimpse of what Jesus is really like.  And to that end, I’ve become an Internet Entrepreneur, visioning and creating a safe place for people to get better.  And a place to challenge Baby Boomers and X-ers to do something great before they die.

Context: I wrote this so I could summarize what I was thinking, before I had a (diplomatic) conversation with my wonderful in-laws. They live 1,100 miles away. They are in their mid-eighties. I just wanted them to be thinking about some simple, but very important questions. Here we go:

How important is it to carefully consider the pros and cons before making a major decision? Right! Extremely important. Why? What a great question, “Why?” Why allows you to decide with logic and reason, rather than emotion.

What’s the downside of an emotional decision?

What’s the upside of an emotional decision?

What’s the downside of a rational decision?

What’s the updside of a rational decision?

By now I hope we all agree that a rational decision has far more benefits than negatives. And, an emotional decision has far more negatives than benefits. Agreed? Good. This is what is called a blinding flash of the obvious. When the answer is obvious because of the overwhelming logic from life’s experiences.

If you move next door to us, into a mother-in-law apartment yet to be built, what are the pros and what are the cons?:

PROS:

1. See each other more often.

2. Help each other when we can.

3. Have meals together more often, probably on the weekends.

4. Consolidate financial resources, I think.

CONS:

1. You lose your social network.

2. Everything is unfamiliar.

3. You become a prisoner in your own home.

4. You lose your routine.

5. You go stir-crazy because you feel trapped.

6. You go stir-crazy because you are bored.

7. A huge reinvestment in medical appointments.

8. Maybe lose your ability to drive, becoming totaly dependant on two busy people.